After 42 years in Telangana Congress, T Jeevan Reddy set to join BRS

HYDERABAD: Ending his 42-year association with Congress, senior leader T Jeevan Reddy will join BRS soon.BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Thursday visited Jeevan Reddy at his residence in Jagtial and invited him into the pink party on behalf of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. Jeevan Reddy announced that he would be happy to work with KCR. The veteran leader had resigned from Congress on March 25."Jeevan Reddy responded positively to the invitation and acknowledged his long-standing personal association with KCR and expressed happiness over the visit. He will meet KCR soon and announce his decision within a couple of days," KTR told the media at Jeevan Reddy's residence after extending an invitation to the ex-minister.KTR said for farmers and the poor in the state to regain stability and happiness, KCR must return as chief minister. "Experienced leaders like Jeevan Reddy are essential for rebuilding Telangana's growth trajectory," he added.He also recalled that KCR had invited him to join BRS even before the 2014 elections, but he continued in Congress at the time due to his loyalty to the party. KTR elaborated on the long-standing personal bond between KCR and Jeevan Reddy, built over four decades of mutual respect. He recalled that during KCR's first official tour of Karimnagar district as CM in 2014, development works requested by Jeevan Reddy, despite being in the opposition, were immediately sanctioned, reflecting statesmanship beyond party lines.KTR launched a strong attack on the Congress govt, stating that over the past two and a half years, it has failed in governance and was resorting to diversionary politics to hide its inefficiencies.The BRS leader alleged that govt defaulted on the Rythu Bandhu scheme three times, accumulating dues of 27,000 crore to farmers, while misleading them in the name of loan waivers. He said this has led to widespread anger among farmers. ‘Happy to join BRS'Former minister Jeevan Reddy expressed gratitude to KTR for visiting his residence and inviting him into BRS on KCR's behalf. He said resigning from the Congress was an emotional decision but expressed happiness at joining BRS. He said he endured humiliation over the past 20 months with patience and added that, having seen many govts, he believes the present govt was moving in a regressive direction. He said his decision was based on public opinion and expressed happiness at the opportunity to work under KCR's leadership.